Motorized vehicles will in future be equipped with so-called information centres which provide considerably more information than the information indicators of the past. In future, not only will we be informed about the speed at which we are travelling, the time and the oil level, but for example we will also be informed about the average speed at which we are travelling, the petrol consumption at a particular moment, the average petrol consumption, the state of the brakes, the coolant level, etc.
In addition there is a need to know continuously during a journey the current position of the vehicle and this information should be made available automatically without it being necessary to search for this information on a street map. An orientation system of this type which automatically indicates the current location of the vehicle during a journey is of considerable importance particularly for the driver travelling alone, since he has to give all of his attention during a journey to the traffic and therefore does not have the opportunity of finding out his position on a map during the journey. Even those people who frequently accompany a driver often find it quite different to ascertain the position of the vehicle at a particular time and this is expecially true during night driving.
Orientation devices are already known which make it possible in a vehicle automatically to ascertain the location during travel without requiring the assistance of a companion in the vehicle. The known orientation device which operate according to various different principles do however have the disadvantage that they require considerable expense which may act as a deterrent to their installation.